Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy. Through the Durham Neighbors Free Lunch Initiative, I worked with restaurants like Geer Street Garden, Gocciolina, and Chicken Hut to uplift local businesses while feeding our community. Rising rent and being priced out should not be a barrier for small businesses. Many small business owners, especially minority and women entrepreneurs, face barriers to funding. We need to expand access to low-interest loans, grants, and technical assistance to help businesses start, grow, and thrive.

Durham deserves a transit system that works for everyone—whether you drive, bike, walk, or take the bus. In 2024, GoDurham ridership exceeded national trends, with nearly 7 million riders annually. As our city expands, we must invest in safe, more frequent, and reliable public transit to connect our communities, provide access to jobs, and support local businesses. This also means investing into pedestrian and bike infrastructure should be a priority, ensuring safe sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes that make Durham a walkable, livable city.

Durham is growing, but too many of our neighbors are being priced out. The median rent in Durham has skyrocketed to over $1,500 per month, while nearly 50% of renters are considered cost-burdened—spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Homeownership is also slipping out of reach, with the median home price now exceeding $400,000. This means we need to expand Durham’s Affordable Housing Bond initiatives and leverage public-private partnerships to build and preserve thousands of affordable units, strenghten tenant protection programs, and preventing predatory evicitons, ensuring families and workers can stay in our city.

True public safety means prevention, intervention, and community-driven solutions—not just policing. That’s why I support expanding Durham’s HEART Program, which dispatches unarmed crisis responders for mental health emergencies, freeing up law enforcement for serious crime. We must also invest in our first responders by ensuring fair pay, better training, and mental health resources for police, firefighters, and emergency personnel to improve retention and strengthen community trust. Additionally, expanding youth programs, job training, and community centers—along with initiatives like Cure Violence Durham—can break cycles of violence before they start.